Changing your mind is a sign of intelligence

Changing your mind is a sign of intelligence and a practice that we should carry out more regularly. However, there are those who think that doing so reveals a lack of conviction and even character. It is of no use for evidence to cast doubt on the statements one defends, the important thing is to protect pride, the decisive thing is not to lower oneself to admit the error.

Experts in human intelligence and creativity suggest something very concrete. When we wake up in the morning, let’s consider what idea, approach or belief we are going to change today. Because doing so is an exercise in mental flexibility that will allow us to gain wisdom, cognitive openness, and also happiness.

The flow of life requires change and movement, just like our mind. Thus, those who do not allow themselves to change some of their ideas from time to time will end up giving truth to false facts. He will also not be able to handle uncertainty and will never rectify his mistakes. And, as we well know, it is very difficult to live with someone with this attitude.

Intelligence goes far beyond being a genius in quantum physics or having two doctorates in mathematics. The brilliant mind is a flexible mind.

Why is changing your mind a sign of intelligence?

Few things are more comfortable than defending the same truth that our friends, partner, co-workers, family share… Having the same beliefs, ideologies and attitudes in common as our reference group offers us satisfaction and cohesion. However, What happens when we suddenly disagree with the rest and defend our own and antagonistic opinion?

What happens is that our environment can feel challenged and, above all, strange. Since when do you think like that? Why do you suddenly have those opinions? Someone has washed your mind! -they tell us-. Because Changing your mind is something that not everyone understands or respects and this is often experienced with contradiction.

They prefer us with our focused ideas, rooted in the usual approaches and being predictable. Consistent with what others defend. However, Nobody is a weather vane, a fake, a sellout or less honest if they suddenly defend an idea that they previously denied.. Being open to other approaches and recognizing their usefulness is an unavoidable sign of wisdom.

The good leader must learn to change his mind

Changing your mind is a sign of intelligence, but many think that doing so diminishes their authority. This is what experts Martha Jeong, Leslie K. John, Francesca Gino, and Laura Huang of the Harvard Business School. In a research work they were able to see that, A large part of leaders and entrepreneurs are reluctant to change their focus or dismiss any of their ideas.

Giving up on one’s truths or admitting errors is experienced as an act of fallibility. Remaining firm in their initial positions is for some a sign of power and conviction. However, authentic leaders or highly successful people already know that braggarts don’t get far. Only those who allow themselves to be flexible and change perspective from time to time reveal true brilliance.

Sometimes to be right you have to change your approach.

Suddenly discovering that something we took for granted is not so true hurts. It affects our ego, morality, self-esteem and even identity. Therefore, seeing how new information contradicts what we defended generates what we know as cognitive dissonance.

This term defines the disharmony we experience when the internal system of ideas, beliefs and attitudes comes into conflict. We know that changing our mind is a sign of intelligence because it allows us to discard unhelpful ideas, but doing so is neither easy nor quick. The curious thing is that To avoid this psychological discomfort, human beings resort to incredible intellectual juggling, Most of the time.

This would be an example:

I like to smoke, but they tell me that smoking causes cancer. Assuming this makes me uncomfortable, I prefer to accept another idea as valid -> My grandfather smoked all his life and died at 100 years old. Therefore, he must not be so bad.

Beyond your convictions is flexibility

Miguel Servetus, Giordano Bruno, Copernicus, Galileo Galilei… Our history is full of figures who challenged a world that at that time processed new ideas as attacks on the dogma of faith. Science and religion never got along very well. Currently, There are many who cling to their convictions as the Inquisition did with its creeds.

Society does not advance if there is no open mind. Nowadays, there are many who defend their opinions with violence without knowing that these ideas are based on sand castles.

Changing your mind is a sign of intelligence, but this requires exercising intellectual humility. And it is not easy to carry it out when we are educated under the idea that we are our convictions and these must be defended tooth and nail.

We forget that change facilitates progress, that the truth is hidden in progress and that to facilitate itold ideas must be discarded to assume better arguments and new perspectives. So let’s keep that in mind. Let’s ask ourselves what idea or belief is worth changing today.

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